Garry Birtles wants Steve Cooper to pick 25-year-old Nottingham Forest star

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Garry Birtles has called on Nottingham Forest to bring Ryan Yates back into the team this weekend. The midfielder hasn’t started a game since the Reds last won at Chelsea back in September.

Forest star Yates has been forced to wait patiently to return to the fold. Steve Cooper has gone with the three of Ibrahim Sangare, Orel Mangala and Nicolas Dominguez since the transfer window closed with some success.

Yates made an eye-catching cameo for Forest against Liverpool at the weekend. He set up the best chance after he came on, with Anthony Elanga crashing an effort off the underside of the bar.

Birtles wants Yates back in the Forest fold

The 25-year-old is considered one of our own having come through the academy. This season, however, Forest head coach Cooper hasn’t considered Yates a regular but Birtles thinks he should be recalled to the team.

He told The Garibaldi Red Podcast: “The number of times he’s made a difference when he’s come on or when he’s started. You’ve got to take into consideration what the others are doing; are they creating chances are they scoring goals, can they do what he can do? Do they know the Premier League, no they don’t, does he know the Premier League, yes he does. Those factors have to come into consideration.

“It’s alright saying you’ve got to give them time but you could be losing game after game doing that and I think sometimes you’ve got to go with tried and tested and he’s never let us down. A lot of people gave him stick but last season I think without him and Joe Worrall, I still think we’d have gone down. I honestly do, their performances were good they knew what they had to do.”

Yates will have a part to play this season

There is definitely a part for Yates to play at Forest this season. However, it remains to be seen when he will come back into he fold with a place in the starting eleven.

Mangala, Sangare and Dominguez all have certain qualities. Forest spent big on Sangare and he will likely get time to settle; whilst the other two midfielders have been quality this season.

Yates is fancied by Forest head coach Cooper though. Given that the Reds are stuck in a bit of a rut at this moment in time, perhaps Birtles will get his wish this weekend and the academy graduate will return to the team.